December Birthstone - Turquoise

Healing Properties and Interesting Information

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Healing

Strengthens and aligns all chakras, meridians and subtle bodies. Brings communication to emotional issues, creativity and intuition. Protection during astral travel. Used for spiritual attunement, healing and cleansing the chakras and physical body.

Where Found

Most turquoise has been found in deeply weathered and altered rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Turquoise may form as chalky coatings or finely disseminated crystals in small cavities and crystal interstices in the host rock. Found in igneous rock containing copper minerals. A relatively soft stone, turquoise also develops in rocks near water tables. Iran boasts some of the finest and oldest turquoises, which have been mined there as early as 5000 B.C. Turquoise is also found in the southwest region of the United States and other countries such as Egypt, China, Australia, Tibet, Mexico, and Brazil.

History, mythology

Historically, turquoise has been a very important and long used stone. It has been found among Egyptian artifacts including jewelry and decoration on tombs. In the old world, the Egyptians and Persians and Mongols valued turquoise highly. Turquoise is a very popular stone in Tibet. The Persians were extremely fond of fine, sky blue turquoise and the name "Persian Turquoise" is now applied to these stones as a color grade rather than as an indication of source area. In the New World, the Aztecs and Incas utilized turquoise but the American Indians of the Southwest have probably brought more attention to this december birthstone in recent years than any other culture. This December birthstone is considered a gem of good fortune. Turquoise symbolized to many Native American tribes that the blue was the heavens and the green was the earth.

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